


(love like) flowers and fire

by smugheadjonesthethird



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Archie as Will, Betty as Layla, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Inspired By Tumblr, Jandy this is for you, Jealousy, Jughead as Warren, Real Feelings, References to Canon, Sky High AU, Typical High School Drama, a fic in which the author rewrites the ending of a movie to provide what we were all robbed of, betty is botanokinetic, jughead is pyrokinetic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2020-07-28 02:37:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20056645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smugheadjonesthethird/pseuds/smugheadjonesthethird
Summary: Betty Cooper is sick of the inequality in Riverdale, perfectly encapsulated by their high school. Taking a stand against it in a way she'd never imagined, what transpired next proved out of her realm of possibility.ORA Sky High AU in which we rewrite the ending as it should have been, with the dark, brooding bad boy getting the sunshine girl instead of the All-American hero unjustifiably winning (again).





	(love like) flowers and fire

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jandjsalmon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jandjsalmon/gifts).

> First; I would like to say that this is entirely Jandy (@jandjsalmon)'s fault. She posted something to tumblr (I'd link it, but I don't know how) and it inspired this. So, dearest love, I hope it is what you were looking for as far as a Sky High AU goes (and my apologies if it isn't). <3
> 
> Second; a gigantic thank you to my dear Fonsie (@strangenightsofdaydreams/KawaiiKitsune13) for being a sounding board, cheerleader, beta and overall amazing friend! This would not be what it is without you. 
> 
> Third; thank you to my dearest darling, Em (@miss-eee) for their amazing beta rock star. I appreciate you, the amazing work you do, and the beautiful friendship you have given me.

Betty Cooper was excited to start her sophomore year at Riverdale High. She’d always loved school, but it was amplified when she moved from middle to high school. High school was when the real magic began. 

She’d spent the summer honing her powers, starting small as she always had by perking up dying flowers in the park or refreshing her mother’s rose garden when no one was looking. She absolutely loved her powers, loved that she had the ability to heal the things that did so much good for the world, that provided so much beauty. 

Her best friend and next-door neighbor, Archie Andrews, had been there for as long as she could remember. She taught him how to read, helped him in third grade when they were growing lima bean plants and he was confused by how hers were growing so quickly and so lush when his was barely a sprout.

The day she told him about her powers solidified their friendship. Betty had known Archie’s parents, Fred and Mary Andrews, were world-famous, beloved superheroes. They were a construction worker and lawyer respectively by day, but when duty called they were Jackhammer and Shooting Star.

She’d watched them save the world before breakfast more times than she could recall, but that didn’t change how she viewed Archie. She’d been in love with him since before she realized what a superhero was, and that she could be one herself.

Riverdale was a town built on bias and segregation between the heroes and the villains, the favored party obvious. Even within the hero dichotomy, sidekicks were pushed to the side, taken for granted by heroes and civilians alike. She never understood why they couldn’t just be people, happy to coexist as normal civilians in their off-hours. 

Her parents taught her young — stay away from the Southside, that’s where the villains live; they want nothing but to hurt you and destroy the world we live in. This was a difficult task, as all the children of Riverdale attended school together — heroes, villains, non-powered kids — it didn’t matter, at least not until high school. Betty made it a point to befriend everyone, to help those who needed it in class and to stand up for what she believed in, including equality.

During their freshman year of Riverdale High, she was classified as a sidekick in power placement and as such was deemed lesser, simply because she didn’t believe in flaunting her powers, even if she’d gotten hers before the rest of her classmates. 

Her best friend on the other hand, without so much as lifting a finger, got placed onto the hero track. It was the Andrews’ legacy to be the best superhero. He had inherited both of his parents’ powers: super strength and the ability to fly.

They tried not to let it affect their friendship, but as their freshman year progressed, the further apart they grew and the more she pined for something she knew she’d probably never have. 

Sophomore year, as luck would have it, changed everything.

It wasn’t often they got new kids at Riverdale High; it was on the more exclusive side, holding spots for legacies on any spectrum of allegiance and incredibly gifted and talented teens. So when the raven-haired goddess graced the halls of Riverdale High for the first time, it was as if the world stopped.

Betty stared slack-jawed and bug-eyed at the beautiful new transfer student who happened to walk right up to her companion.

“You’re Archie?” the new girl asked.

“I am, how’d you know?”

“I was told to look for the devastatingly attractive ginger. I saw the most gorgeous redhead cheerleading outside, but she didn’t look like an Archie,” she giggled, extending her hand for a shake. “I’m Veronica Lodge, transfer student from Steeple Prep in New York. I believe you’re supposed to be my peer mentor.”

Betty stared at Archie, fidgeting next to him, trying not to be intimidated by the Latina goddess before her. She watched as Archie stood there, expression matching her own before she nudged him out of his trance. 

“Uh. Yes. I am Archie Andrews,” he said, shaking her hand. “Uh. Welcome to Riverdale High. What brings you here from Steeple? What’s your power?”

“My mother got transferred here for work. Hydrokinesis, but my specialty is ice,” she shrugged. “Who’s your girlfriend?” The question was almost directed at Betty and flirty in tone.

“Oh. This is Betty Cooper,  _ not  _ my girlfriend; just a friend,” he rushed to explain and laughed nervously. 

“Nice to meet you, Veronica,” she said, forcing herself to sound cheerful despite her unease. “Listen, Arch, I gotta run. I have tech, so I’ll see you at lunch?”

“Yeah, sure, uh-huh,” he barely responded, too busy undressing the new girl in his head.  _ Good thing his powers aren’t x-ray vision _ , she mused.

She made her way to class, her mind whirling with a myriad of thoughts. She was so close to finally telling Archie how she felt and he was sure he felt the same way, but he never looked at her the way he looked at Veronica. She felt defeated, her head hanging low as she trudged to class, not paying any mind to anything around her when she collided with someone.

“Oh, sorry,” she said, not even bothering to look up at whoever she was apologizing to. It was more of a reflex than anything.

“You’re good,” a voice said and she looked up confused. 

“I’m sorry, Jughead. I guess I wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing. I didn’t mean to —”

“I said you’re good.” He said. His voice was gruff, but it had been since she could remember. 

Betty had met Jughead Jones in early elementary school. She’d taken a liking to him fairly early on. If she had to guess it was their shared love of books and wandering in Fox Forest. Jughead, Betty, and Archie were practically inseparable growing up. But now all he ever seemed to do was push everyone away… especially Archie. She understood his reasoning, but she didn’t understand why it bled into her, too. 

Fred Andrews, or more accurately Jackhammer, stopped his mother, Resurrecter, before her twisted plot could take hold. She had planned to reanimate the greatest villains killed during the beginning of what History referred to as the Light Age, to create an unstoppable, undead villain army, hen use them to take over and prove to Riverdale once and for all that villians were superior. 

In turn, he was left with his civilian father, and his baby sister was sent to live with their grandparents. It all happened when Jughead was still pretty young, but Betty guessed he’d never gotten over it. Understandably so, she thought, but she never knew why his trouble with the Andrews family extended to her.

“Right, sorry. I’ll see you at the staff meeting later?”

“And in biology. We’re lab partners, remember?” 

“Yeah, right. Sorry. I’m just gonna go then,” Betty said, tripping over her words and her feet as she hurried away from Jughead. 

She couldn’t figure out what was wrong with her. Why was she such a bumbling idiot? Scurrying off, she caught sight of Archie with Veronica again. This time she could see the blatant flirtation on their faces, and her stomach sank to her toes. Betty turned around abruptly and decided that the long way to class was surely the better option.

—

Just before lunch period ended, while Betty slowly picked at her sad excuse for a meal, Cheryl Blossom approached the table. She never paid any mind to Betty, but just as she figured, Cheryl was there to see Archie. She fought back an eye roll as the leggy redhead propped herself on the table. Betty pushed her lunch away.

“Archibald, just the man I was looking for,” Cheryl sang as she tossed her flowing locks over her shoulder. “Friday night, Thistlehouse...” 

Betty turned her head and rolled her eyes for what seemed like the thousandth time that day. Her eyes roamed the cafeteria and landed on Jughead, sitting alone, munching away on tortilla chips as he typed away on his laptop.

"Heroes only," Cheryl said turning her attention to Betty, who was trying her best to keep distracted. “No offense to Dandelion here, but you know how it is. Feel free to bring this cute new thing with you,” she said pointing a perfectly-manicured nail toward Veronica and winked. “Toodles.”

_ Rude bitch _ , Betty thought, but she could hear Archie cooing over to Veronica about how Cheryl throws the best parties and that everyone would love her and she had to come with him.

“Arch, it’s the first week of school. Friday night is Pop’s night. It’s tradition.” Betty said, but she could hear the disappointment in her own voice.

“Well, yeah, but I can do both. Pop’s is at eight. I’ll go to Cheryl’s for a bit and swing by to meet you.”

“‘Cause I really wanted to talk to you and —”

The bell rang, interrupting her mid-sentence and Archie clambered up off the bench and offered his hand to Veronica. If she kept rolling her eyes so hard, they’d probably fall out by the end of the day.

“Good talk,” she whispered to herself as she watched them walk away. She turned and looked back to Jughead, who seemed just as stoic and unbothered as ever.

—

“Did you take notes in bio today because I fell asleep again,” Jughead said as he strolled into the Blue and Gold office. 

“I know you did. You always do.”

“Yeah, well, I have the best lab partner in all of Riverdale, so I figured I’d be alright,” he teased as he plopped down in his usual spot on the couch. “Why are we having a meeting? We’re the only ones who work on the paper. We know what we’re doing. Do I really need to participate in this useless ritual?”

“You’re here because I said so, and because we need to brainstorm the next op-ed feature,” she turned to look at Jughead. “Besides, you need human interaction in your life. You don’t talk to anyone.”

“That’s because everyone has a stick up their ass,” he said crossing his arms over his chest. “It's not like you see people lining up to at least pretend they give a shit _ .  _ They go out of their way to avoid me. Y’know the whole  _ my mom is a supervillain _ thing.”

“Yes, Jughead, I remember. How could I forget? You won’t let me. Do  _ you _ remember that article I wrote about the perception of Southside being complete bullshit? About how we as individuals have our own agency on how, and when, we use our powers and we shouldn’t succumb to societal pressures to prove ourselves in antiquated rituals. We’re on the same team here, hot hands.”

“Yeah, I don’t think so, Bonnie.”

—

Friday came quickly and before she knew it, Betty found herself at Pop’s waiting for Archie. She’d gotten there early, picked the perfect table, made sure the singular carnation next to the salt and pepper shakers was a perfect bloom. She was going to tell Archie how she felt. Finally. She adjusted her sweater compulsively as she waited, smoothing down her sundress to give herself something to do.

When eight o’clock turned to nine forty-five, she had given up hope. She should have known that Archie wasn’t going to leave a Blossom party early — not when he was the perfect All-American superhero in training. She scoffed at herself, grabbing her bag and scooting from the seat.

As she was leaving, she spotted Jughead on the other side of the diner, clacking away at his keyboard. She was just about at the door when he looked up and called after her.

“He bailed on tradition again?”

“That’s rich coming from you. You abandoned tradition when we were twelve,” she snarked as she approached and made herself comfortable in the booth across from Jughead. He gave her a perturbed look but didn’t ask her to leave, so she settled in and sighed.

“Does he know you’re in love with him?”

“I’m sorry, what?” she said, shocked that he’d be so brazen. She hadn’t known anyone knew since she’d kept it to herself, close to her chest.

“I didn’t stutter. And don’t try to tell me I’m wrong. You have been since we were kids.”

Betty opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. She closed her slack-jaw and glared at Jughead pointedly. 

“You know it isn’t that easy for people to talk about those kinds of feelings.”

Jughead scoffs then takes a sip of his coffee. “Typical. Sidekick falling in love with her next-door neighbor superhero best friend.” He sat back and raised a challenging eyebrow.

“What do you know about typical? Nothing about you or your life is typical. I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t know it if you tripped over it.” Her face was red and she could feel her heart pounding in her chest. 

Jughead slammed his laptop closed and glared at her again, his hands flat on the table. He turned to the small bouquet of white daisies on his table and scorched them with his fingertips, watching Betty the entire time with a defiant smirk on his face.

Her eyes widened at the blatant disrespect. She reached out to heal them, restore them to their former beauty but Jughead slapped her hand away.

“I like them better this way… atypical.”

They sat, engaged in an unintentional staring contest until the jingle of the bell over the door broke Jughead out of it. His eyes darted between the entrance and Betty’s face. His smirk confused her, but then again, it usually did.

“Wow. You’re still here,” she heard from behind her. The footsteps stopped before he got to the table, and if she had to guess, it was because of Jughead. 

She turned around slowly and stood up to face him, being faced with the reality of her best friend, Archie Andrews, holding hands with the glamourous new girl, Veronica Lodge. She felt her heart wrench and turned to look at Jughead to see if he saw it, too. He simply shrugged and reopened his laptop.

“You said you wanted to talk?”

“Forget it. I, um. I figured it out. Jughead helped me. See you tomorrow,” she said nearly running out of the Chock’lit Shoppe, fighting back tears.

—

Over the course of the weekend, Archie had tried to call, text and even shout across the fence to Betty, but she was not having it. She was too heartbroken to face him, and even if she wasn’t — the one time she opened her curtain to see if he was in his room — he was… but he wasn’t alone.

She forcefully closed her curtains and hermitted herself away for the entirety of the weekend. When Monday morning came, she didn’t wait for Archie to walk to school like she usually did. She went on without him and buried herself in the homework she’d neglected while she was hiding.

“Betty,” she heard being called from down the corridor. “Betty, c’mon. You can’t just ignore me!”

She stopped abruptly, looked back at Archie who was slow jogging to catch up to her, then continued walking. “C’mon, B!” He said as he finally caught up to her and put his hand on her shoulder. 

She slinked out from under his palm and turned to him again. “What?”

“What were you doing with Jughead at Pop’s?”

“Talking.” She didn’t care that she was being short with him. He deserved it.

“Why?”

“We’re friends, or did you forget that the  _ three _ of us used to be best friends?”

“Yeah, but he’s… different now.”

“We’re all different now. That’s how growing up works,” she said, placing her hands on her hips. She gave him a pointed look, urging him to continue. “I’m struggling to find your point.” 

“You know what I mean. Look at his mom!” Betty doesn’t respond and her face remained impassive. “He’s not one of the good guys and you need to be careful.”

Betty was taken aback by his brutal, but misconceived honesty. Frankly, she thought he couldn’t be more wrong, but nothing she said was going to change his — or anyone else’s — mind.

“I’ve got bio. See you around,” she said turning on a heel and marching off to class.

Betty threw her bag down at her lab station and sat angrily, emptying the contents of her backpack onto the counter. She stuffed the things she didn’t need back in and just as Jughead slinked in and sat down, she slammed her textbook on the counter.

“Easy there, turbo. What did that textbook ever do to you?” He asked with an amused chuckle.

Betty turned to look at him, practically snarled, then squared herself forward organizing her class materials in front of her. She didn’t speak the entirety of the class period, so mind-boggled and frustrated that Archie would have the nerve to say that to her of all people. The bell rang, dismissing them to their next class when she turned to Jughead.

“Blue and Gold after school. And don’t give me some bullshit excuse. You better be there,” she said turning and stalking out, leaving Jughead with a look of pure confusion on his face.

—

She waited in the newspaper office for fifteen minutes before Jughead actually showed up. She wasn’t actually expecting him to, but she’s glad he showed. He plopped himself down on the couch and stared at her as she typed furiously at the room’s only desktop computer. 

They waited there in silence for another ten minutes, the only sound was her fingers flying over the keys and consecutive frustrated slamming of the backspace key mixed with an occasional growl. 

“Are you going to tell me why I’m here or can I go? I have some bullshit excuse ready, if I’m not needed.”

She looked up from the computer screen and glared again. “Come here and read this. Then we will discuss it.”

Jughead reluctantly got up and pushed Betty’s rolling chair away from the screen, launching her to the other side of the room. She could hear him mumbling to himself, verbal red pen remarks falling from his lips. When he was finally finished with the article, his head shot up to look at her.

“You want me to what?”

“C’mon Jug. You love a good social experiment.”

“That is not the point! This is not a good idea.”

“Why not?” she asked slowly getting up from her chair and moving back toward the computer.

“You honestly think us fake dating is going to change anything? No offense Betty, but who the hell are we to make an actual difference?”

“The last people anyone would expect to. The dichotomy is crap and you know it. People see you as your mother’s son, are you honestly telling me that it doesn’t bother you?”

“Well, I mean, I am my mother’s son.” She raised an eyebrow at him. “Isn’t it just easier that way? People avoid me, I get to do what I want, win-win.”

“How is that a win-win? No one actually  _ knows _ you! They don’t know that you write for the paper because you won’t let me put your name on anything. They don’t know that you’re actually a brilliant thinker, an even better writer and an all-around, pretty good guy!”

“Hey woah! I have a reputation to uphold, you can’t just go around screaming things like that,” he said defensively. “Even if they are true.”

“It’ll piss off Archie,” she said as her last means of convincing him to get on board with her plan.

She watched his face morph and contort like he was actually struggling with the decision. “Fine, but only because it’ll piss him off. But there have to be —”

“I knew that would be the icing on the cake!” she said clapping excitedly. “Listen, you won’t regret this, it’ll be worth it, I swear. The story will be amazing.”

“Wait, there’s gonna be cake?” Jughead perked up.

“I guess your new girlfriend can make you cupcakes. But I wouldn’t want to wreck that bad boy vibe you’ve got going on,” she mocked.

“If fake dating you gets me baked goods, I’m in,” he said. “But there’s gotta be ground rules, right?”

“Nope. All is fair in love and war,” she said clasping her hands in front of her chest, smiling.

—

The next day at lunch, instead of sitting with her usual cohorts, she joined Jughead at his table, which was usually empty except for him. She set her bag down and pulled out her lunch box and an extra Tupperware container. She slid the container in Jughead’s direction.

“Oh. This is starting now? We’re just diving right in?” He said eyeing the container.

“Baked goods and all,” Betty teased as she nudged the container closer. Jughead laughed and looked over at her, then shook his head. 

Betty smiled brightly and laid her head on his shoulder. To her surprise, he didn’t shrug her off. The crinkle of leather in her ear was almost deafening as he struggled to get the container open.

“Here, Juggie, let me,” she said grabbing for the container to help him.

“No one calls me that.”

“I do now. Get used to it… boyfriend,” she winked. His groan was low but it was masked behind an unamused laugh. “I can always take this back if you don’t want to go through with this,” she whispered to him as she saw Archie and Veronica approaching quickly.

Archie slammed his hands on the table in front of Betty and Jughead and stared.

“Something I can help you with, champ?” Jughead asked, throwing his arm around Betty’s shoulder.

Archie’s eyes widened as he looked back and forth between the couple in front of him.

“What is this?” he asked only to Betty. “When did this happen?”

“Friday night. 8:00. Pop’s.” Betty said as she nuzzled herself into his shoulder. Archie stammered, but it seemed he couldn’t form a coherent sentence.

“C’mon Archiekins, let’s leave these lovebirds alone,” Veronica said, pulling at the crook of his elbow.

“No, Ronnie you don’t understand. This is not a thing that should be happening.”

“I don’t see why not. They’re actually a cute couple,” she said pulling at Archie with one hand and blowing a kiss to Betty with the other. “See you around, B.”

As soon as they were out of sight, Jughead shrugged her off and finally opened the container, revealing a beautifully frosted cupcake. She watched as he pinched the bottom off of it and smashed it on top of the frosting, essentially making a cupcake sandwich before promptly shoving the entire thing in his mouth.

“Thanks,” he said with raised eyebrows, licking the frosting off of his thumb. 

—

During their first week, they slowly eased into the official ‘relationship’ and it was not as difficult as Betty anticipated. Relatively smooth, except for the dirty looks, whispering behind her back, and nasty letters someone left in her locker.

The second week, things quieted down, but she’d still get the occasional glare from the hero class. She didn’t care, as far as anyone else was concerned, Betty and Jughead were content in their blissful relationship. 

By week three, it didn’t feel too much like pretending anymore. Jughead had stopped trying to deter her with his flames, so she held his hand frequently now. He’d stopped shrugging her off, and she didn’t have to ask him to walk her home anymore. They did most things that every other couple at Sky High did in the halls — laughed, joked, light physical affection.

Betty was walking to her locker at the end of a long and trying school day when she overheard Archie shouting behind a cracked classroom door.

“I don’t buy it, Jug! There is no way Betty would actually date someone like you!”

She peeked through the glass in the door and watched as Jughead bristled. His hands were at his side and she could see the heat building in them.

“Someone like me? What, someone who’s there for her? Someone who gives a shit about how her day was? Y’know what, I think you might just be jealous Andrews. Want what you can’t have?” There was no response. “You missed your shot, boyo. So lay off! Betty’s with me and if you don’t like it, I don’t actually care. If you were really her best friend, you’d let her be happy.”

“What do you mean by I missed my shot?” Jughead raised a challenging eyebrow and leaned against the desk behind him.

Betty slowly creaked the door open to hear the conversation better and slipped in momentarily undetected before Jughead’s eyes flicked to her, but he remained quiet.

“Just as it sounds, genius. Maybe if you got your head out of your ass long enough to notice anything around you, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.” His hands clenched at his sides, the glow gaining light as Archie stared him down.

“What do you know? If anyone has their head up their own ass, it’s you.” 

“You really need to stop screwing with  _ my _ relationship with  _ my _ girlfriend,” he seethed. “I know it’s you or one of your lackeys leaving those notes in Betty’s locker. I know that you’re the one spreading those terrible rumors about us. If that doesn’t scream jealousy, big man, I don’t know what does.”

It was the first time he willingly referred to her as his girlfriend with other people around. He was defending her and it didn’t sound like it was for show; he sounded deadly serious.

“You two haven’t even kissed! You’ve been ‘dating’ for over a month now!” he said, placing the word dating in air quotes. “I call bullshit.”

Jughead formed a small fireball in his hand and threw it at Archie’s shoulder, singeing the strap of his backpack. “What the fuck!”

“Keep it up and it’ll be worse,” Jughead said slowly forming a larger fireball in his hand, letting it sit there menacingly as he stared down his former best friend.

“Are you threatening me?”

“Oh no. It’s a promise,” he said extinguishing the flames.

Archie walked around the opposite side of where Jughead was perched and flung the teacher’s desk (which was bolted to the ground to prevent these situations) at Jughead from across the room. Jughead ducked, knowing the desk would be too flame-retardant to burn through and was caught slightly in the side. She felt the visceral need to protect him, to defend him, just as he had done for her.  _ Thank god we’re in a science room, _ she mused as her hands came from her sides. 

The vines from the potted ivy plant in the corner slowly lurked from their place and wrapped themselves around Archie’s feet and wrists, rooting him to his spot with their subtle strength. He looked up confused.

“How much of that did you hear?” Archie asked, tucking his tail between his legs.

“Probably too much. Jughead is right. You definitely missed your chance. I know Fred and Mary raised you better than to be a bigoted, prejudicial jackass. You can go fuck yourself,” she said turning to Jughead to help him off the ground.

She pulled him to his feet and placed her hand on his cheek. “Are you okay?” she whispered to him, stroking her thumb along his cheekbone.

“Yeah, fine,” he said bringing his hand to clasp hers. “He’s not as strong as he thinks he is.”

Betty felt her cheeks heating up and she knew it had nothing to do with Jughead’s pyrokinesis this time. 

_ Oh. _

“What the hell, Betty. Let me go!” Archie said struggling against the vines.

“You seriously have too much interest in a relationship that has nothing to do with you. I think your time would be better suited with your  _ actual  _ girlfriend. You remember Veronica, right? I’m sure she’d love your attention back before she loses interest, too.”

Betty released the vines back to their rightful spot in the corner and gave them an extra perk up as a thank you before turning back to Jughead. Threading her fingers through his, she squeezed briefly before letting him go to face Archie. Betty looked back at Archie and then purposefully returned her eyes to Jughead.

“We still on for movie night? It’s your turn to bring the snacks.”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world, beautiful,” he said, kissing the top of her head and smirking at Archie. 

Betty smiled wide at Jughead and left the room without another word.

—

Betty was sitting at her vanity after pulling her hair loose from her always too-tight ponytail when there was a knock at the window. She turned to look to see Jughead waving at her. She smiled and got up from her seat, opening the window to let him in.

“You could have just used the front door, my mom and dad aren’t even home.”

“Oh, I know, but this is way more fun and far easier to annoy Archie with.”

“Speaking of Archie…” she let herself trail off, not wanting to rehash the earlier conversation she walked in on, but knowing they’d have to talk about it eventually.

“Listen, he’s a jackass —”

“You called me your girlfriend.”

“I did. Because you are.”

“Cut the shit, Jug, no one is around.”

“But you are, aren’t you? A partner is someone you spend time with, care about, do romantic-type things with. You can’t tell me we haven’t been spending almost all of our time together.”

“You’re right, I can’t.” She sat herself on the edge of her bed, hands gripping the mattress. “You’re saying you care about me.”

“We’ve been friends since before we could read.”

“I could read in kindergarten,” she said playfully.

“You know what I mean. You know I care about you.”

“But not as just your friend?” She said, slowly standing and taking the few steps to close the gap between them. She looked up into his eyes and she could see the slight pink tinge his cheekbones. “Maybe Archie has a point.”

“Those words, I’m pretty sure, have never been spoken by anyone, ever,” he laughed. Betty looked at him pointedly as she picked at her cuticles nervously. “What point did Sir Archibald have?”

“That we haven’t kissed,” she stuttered out after a few steady, deep breaths.

“That is true, we haven’t,” he said threading his arms around her waist, pulling her a little closer into him. “Are you implying that you want to?”

Betty ran her hands over his lapels and curled her hands into the denim. “When did this get real?” Betty asked, feeling his breath at her cheek. “When did we stop pretending?”

“I really don’t think that matters,” he said, leaning in closer their lips just a hair apart.

Betty leaned forward on her tiptoes and pressed their lips together for the first time, her heart in her throat as their mouths continue their soft push-pull. She gripped at his lapel harder and his hand was steady at her neck, holding her to him. She leaned into his gentle touch, letting herself fully relax into him. It was nothing like she thought her first kiss would be like, but if she had to do it all over again, it would be this. It would be the same light, heart palpitating kiss that was laced with so much promise it made her dizzy.

When they parted, they had matching smiles and Betty bit down on her bottom lip. She released his collar and smoothed down the wrinkles she’d created. He was still holding her close and her heart still rattled in her chest and she wondered if she was ever pretending at all. 

Maybe her feelings had always been there, but she was distracted by what she was supposed to want. She was blindsided by the reality of her emotions, thrown for a loop because everything she’d been taught was a lie.

“The article!” she said nearly jumping away from Jughead.

“Really, that’s what you’re thinking about?”

“I think we went about this all wrong. The article isn’t about us. It’s about everyone. This backward town and how we’re all viewed. How people are so easy to change their perspective from good to bad, but never the other way around. Your friends were all quick to accept me for who I am, but mine couldn’t seem to do that with you.”

“You’ve always been on our side, Bonnie.”

“You have been calling me that since we were in grammar school. Why?” she sat back down on her bed and patted the space next to her. When he joined her, she laid her head on his shoulder.

“Well,” he started, propping his arm behind her back, “you’re botanokinetic.  _ Botane _ is Greek for plants; plants are beautiful; bonnie is a Scottish word for beautiful; and also, because you are, too,” he rambled.

“That’s a lot for a kid to connect.”

Jughead shrugged. “I read a lot. Omniliguist and all that. You know that."

“That I do,” she said tilting her head up, smiling at Jughead. He dipped his head down and captured her lips with his again. “Does this mean I get to kiss you anytime I want?”

—

Over the course of the next few weeks, the staring and whispered rumors faded to the background. Betty no longer cared what anyone else thought of her relationship with Jughead. She didn’t know when it went from just a social experiment to full-blown feelings, but she wasn’t upset by it. She was learning more about herself from him, she learned more about the people her family and former friends condemned and scapegoated.

It was the middle of November when Jughead came walking into the Blue and Gold office for their monthly planning session. She was thankful that there was no one else working on the paper, because their after school writing time had taken a more physical turn as of late. Betty was perched on the edge of her desk when Jughead made a bee-line for her, throwing his messenger bag to the couch and wedging himself between her legs.

His lips met hers without hesitation and she was happy to comply. His tongue swiped at her bottom lip and she opened for him. Her tongue caressed his in return, but she didn’t lose herself in his intoxicating kiss. She hummed as she pulled away, her arms dangling over his shoulders.

“Hello to you, too,” she giggled.

“I figured I’d start with something good,” he said laughing. “I did something.”

“Oh God, what did you do? Did you torch the cafeteria again because they ran out of chicken nuggets?”

“That was  _ one _ time and I was ten,” he laughed. “Okay, it was twice and the most recent was last week.”

“Okay, so what did you do?” she said laughing, her fingers mindlessly playing with hairs sticking out from the gray beanie he’s worn on his head since the day she’s met him. 

“Archie was being smug, sitting with Veronica and Cheryl at the Homecoming ticket table. They were being rude, as per usual, so, I  _ may  _ have bought tickets to the dance next weekend just to see the look on their faces.”

“Is that you’re way of asking me to the homecoming dance, Juggie? That isn’t very romantic.”

“I’ll make it up to you,” he said with a dastardly grin on his face.

He leaned in again, this time for a slow, sensual kiss. She savored it, the pleasure that came with pressing her lips into his and scraping her nails against the nape of his neck. He pushed himself closer into her and she could feel the heat of his cheeks radiating onto her skin.

She whimpered when he pulled away, but smiled. She had to admit, she liked being able to kiss him whenever she wanted to and he seemed to enjoy it, too, becoming quite brazen. Now he even kissed her in the halls, before  _ and _ after class.

“Pop’s tonight?” Jughead asked.

“You mean like we’ve gone every Thursday night since we started dating?” She questioned. She tapped her chin thoughtfully before she smiled. “I think I’ll pass.”

“You’ll what?”

“Relax, Jug. I’m kidding. Of course, I’ll be there.” she laughed out.

“I think I just found out why people call me a terrible influence,” he smirked leaning in for another kiss.

—

It was Saturday night and the homecoming dance was finally upon them. Betty skipped the event the year before, too upset by her lack of date to attend alone. There were butterflies in her stomach flapping wildly as she got ready.

She’d taken great care in choosing her dress and how she wanted to style her hair. Jughead had told her that she should wear it down more often, that he loved the soft waves and how they complimented the curve of her neck. 

She stood in front of the mirror, clad only in a strapless bra with matching panties. Her hands were at her hips while she contemplated how her applied makeup looked. Just enough liner and mascara to make her eyes pop, a soft shimmer on her lids and her signature pink perfection on her lips.

She stepped into the still-zipped dress and wriggled it over her hips, securing it up and over her chest. She smoothed her hands over her stomach as she looked at herself. The dress was pale pink and fell just at her knee. It was more fitted than any other dress she owned and lower cut than anything in her entire wardrobe. She paired it with a small silver crown necklace she’d found at the thrift store a few days earlier and simple stud earrings. Betty flipped her hair over her shoulder and glanced at the final result one more time before there was a knock at her door.

She opened the door to reveal Jughead, standing awkwardly in a suit with his hands behind his back. 

“It was my dad’s. It’s the best I could do.”

“You look very handsome, Jug,” she said, taking a few steps forward and pecking his cheek, careful not to smudge her lipstick.

“You look,  _ wow _ ,” he said, looking her up and down. “Just when I think you can’t get any more beautiful.”

Betty’s cheeks were hot at the compliment. “Should we go?”

“Yeah,” he said turning to usher her out. “Oh. Wait. I, uh... I have something for you.”

He pulled a clear plastic box from behind his back. Inside, laid a corsage, an ivy entwined with a single white bloom. Betty was having trouble identifying what kind of flower it used to be, as the ends of each petal were slightly burned and curled.

“I got nervous and burned them by accident. I figured you could fix it.”

Betty let him slip the arrangement on her wrist and smiled at how it looked. She turned back to him and pressed her lips to his. “I like it better this way,” she said, smiling again, recalling the fateful night at Pop’s that started this all just a few short months earlier.

“There’s one more thing, but it’s downstairs.”

Betty looked at him, her brows furrowed. “Hey, wait,” she says pulling him back to her. She reached up and ran her hands through his black waves. “You’re not wearing your hat.”

“I didn’t think I’d need it tonight,” he said as he leaned down to kiss her cheek. “Now, c’mon or we’re gonna be late.”

Jughead dragged her down the stairs and came to a quick stop at the bottom just before they got to the door. He leaned over and grabbed a black box wrapped in a piece of green ribbon. He thrust it forward into her hands and nodded for her to open it. Betty carefully untied the ribbon and removed the lid from the box, placing it down beside her. She peeled back the tissue paper to reveal black leather.

She pulled the item from the box and held it up — a women’s leather jacket. It didn’t look new by any means, but it had character and she was intrigued. She looked up to Jughead, who’s eyes were wide in anticipation.

“You don’t have to wear it, I just figured it might come in handy when we ride together.”

“When we ride together? Jug, what are you talking about?” Betty was genuinely confused. She looked the garment up and down again before swinging it over her shoulders. It fit her perfectly. She looked down at herself then back up at Jughead and she could swear he was salivating.

“You never cease to amaze me, baby,” he said and Betty blushed deep.

“Baby, huh?” Jughead simply shrugged. He grabbed her hand and led her out to the front porch where he stopped again revealing a motorcycle. “Now the leather makes sense,” she laughed.

“It was my dad’s, figured if we’re going to the dance, we may as well be badass doing it.”

Betty just laughed as she continued to walk toward the bike. “You know how to ride this thing, right? We’re not going to die?”

“Yes, I know how to ride it, but I can’t guarantee we won’t die.” 

Jughead took the leather draped over the seat and secured it over his own shoulders before he helped Betty onto the bike. After securing each helmet, they sped off in the direction of Riverdale High. He parked the bike and undid their helmets, helping Betty off the bike before securing everything down. 

They walked, hand-in-hand, leather jackets still on their shoulders toward the gym entrance. They were stopped at the check-in table to ensure they had tickets.

“Excuse me, freakshow. Tickets,” Cheryl said.

“You’re the one who sold them to me, Red,” he said procuring the tickets from his inside jacket pocket. 

“I still can’t believe Mother Nature is dating such an abomination. She had so much potential. Well, for a sidekick. I still don’t think I buy it.”

“Good thing you don’t have to,” Betty said taking the tickets from Jughead, ripping them in half. She then flicked the stubs at Cheryl, before walking away.

When they walked into the gym, they were greeted by Jughead’s friends, Fangs and Toni who hugged them tightly, both laughing. 

“Betty! That was amazing. It’s about time someone stood up to that bitch,” Toni said, eyeing the redhead behind her. 

The four of them walked off to the side, sticking close to the snack table as they watched their classmates enter as if it were a grand ballroom, postulating and gesturing as if they were the most important thing in the room. If they asked Betty the best part of the homecoming dance, she’d say it was being next to Jughead the entire night.

Once the doors were closed, Cheryl and Veronica took the stage to announce the official commencement of the festivities and to remind everyone to vote for homecoming court. They left the stage hand-in-hand and the DJ began to play his first set.

The four sat and laughed at their classmates trying to dance or flirt with people who were not their dates to the event. After some time, Betty’s eyes wandered the gym, finding Archie Andrews sitting alone at an empty table staring with — what she could only classify as desperation — across the dance floor.

She followed his gaze to Veronica and Cheryl who were slow dancing to an impossibly fast song, giving no signs that they cared as they did. 

“I did not see that coming,” Jughead said, leaning into Betty laughing.

“It serves him right. He was too concerned with us to even pay attention to his own girlfriend. Well, I guess ex-girlfriend now,” she chuckled.

The bouncing beat faded into a slow melody when Jughead stood up and offered his hand out to Betty. “M’lady,” he said in the most serious tone.

“No, Jug. We don’t have to dance. I know you have a strict no extracurricular activities participation streak to uphold,” she said fidgeting. “What are you, like ten years deep on that?”

“Yeah, but this will be worth it,” he smiled, running his hand through his hair. “C’mon, you’re not gonna leave me hanging are you?”

“No, I suppose I won’t,” she laughed, taking his hand as he led them onto the center of the dance floor.

Betty could hear the room quiet around them, the only sound their own feet and the music in the background. She didn’t know what song it was, but she would have to remember it, just it in case she needed it in the future.

Her hands found a home around his neck as his settled around her waist and they swayed to the music. Betty could feel hundreds of eyes on her as they danced, but she couldn’t be bothered. 

Toward the end of the song, her fingers toyed at the nape of his neck and brought him down for a searing kiss. She didn’t care that her classmates were still watching or that there were whisperings around them; she melted into Jughead’s kiss as if it were only them in the room. 

Around her, all of the flowers used as decorations stood tall, colors more vivid and nearly glowing with life. He dipped her backward, his hand slipping to secure the back of her neck. When he did, nearly every bud and bloom burst, fluttering in the air before littering the dancefloor like floral confetti. She broke their kiss and smiled brightly, her cheeks bright red when she’d realized that she was the one to cause the blizzard of petals. 

“What do you say we get out of here? Pop’s sounds pretty good right about now,” she said leading them off the dance floor and out the main doors, letting every set of eyes roll of her consciousness as they left.

—

Betty walked into class on Monday with the newly printed edition of the Blue and Gold in her hand and plopped it down on lab counter in front of her boyfriend. He looked down at it.

“Xenophobia, by Elizabeth Cooper and Jughead Jones,” he read. “ Our story is about a town, a small town, and the people who live in the town. From a distance, it presents itself like so many other small towns all over the world. Safe. Decent. Innocent. Get closer, though, and you start seeing the shadows underneath.”

  
  


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_ fin _

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think in the comments, or find me on tumblr : @shrugheadjonesthethird


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